Demonstrating device



Jan. 25, 1938. E. N. CURRAN DEMONSTRATING DEVICE Filed Nov. 2, 1936 v A UTO F EED I/Wen 70/ @M fur/"an 1Z9 fl fiin f 5 Patented Jan. 25, 1938 UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEMONSTRATING DEVICE Edward N. Curran, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Harry Richards, St. Louis, Mo.

10 Claims.

The invention relates to advertising and demonstrating devices and especially to devices of this nature adapted for use in connection with automatic coal stokers and more particularly to such as are sold to the general public who may be unfamiliar with the operation of such stokers.

The main objects of the invention are to attract the attention of an onlooker or a passerby and to indicate to the observer the manner of operation of the stoker.

These and other detailed objects of the invention are attained by the structure illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through a typical stoker feed chamber and retort with the device applied thereto and showing the stoker hopper and power housing in elevation.

Figure 2 is a top view of the same structure.

The housing I. encloses the hopper, motor, gearing and associated parts of an ordinary domestic stoker. The feed pipe or chamber 2 leads from the bottom of the hopper and terminates in an upwardly opening retort 3. A conveyor screw 4 in chamber 2 is designed to feed coal or similar fuel from the hopper in housing I forwardly and upwardly to the retort, which will be located within the furnace and where the fuel will be consumed. The above described parts are of familiar construction and in themselves do not constitute the present invention.

An annular open top pan-like member 5 surrounds the upper portion of the retort side wall and at the rear of the retort is provided with an inclined trough 6 leading downwardly to a point on the feed chamber spaced from the retort, there being an opening 1 provided in the feed chamber wall. This opening may be the usual cleanout door or may be a restricted special opening for the purpose of the present device.

The apparatus includes ball-like elements 8 in sufficient quantity to substantially fill the feed chamber and retort so that as the conveyor 4 is rotated, elements 8 will move over the rim of the retort, drop into the chute formed by member 5 and the exterior face of the retort, and roll rearwardly back to the feed chamber. Preferably member 5 is inclined slightly to the horizontal to start the return movement of elements 8, but even. if it were placed level, elements 8 would eventually enter the more steeply inclined chute 6 and move as desired.

Elements 8 may consist of balls of steel, rubber, or ordinary marbles. Their shape will cause them to move freely through the device and in their movement they will indicate to the observer the manner and'speed of the normal action of the stoker. Preferably elements 8 are of a sizecorresponding to that of the fuel to be used and they may be of variegated colors to render them more noticeable.

I illustrate an additional feature which may be utilized to attract the attention of casual passersby as, for example when the device isplaced in a show window. This comprises a light weight shaft 9 rotatably mounted upon the lower portion of chute 6 and having a paddle l disposed to be struck by the descending balls 8 whereby the paddle and shaft will be intermittently rotated and one or more cards ll carried by the upper end of shaft 9 will be shifted about the shaft axis. Cards ll may bear descriptive or advertising or other attention-directing matter.

The device may be varied to cooperate with different types of stokers, some of which have square retorts and feed chambers disposed in substantially different relations than that indicated in the accompanying drawing. I contemplate the exclusive use of any modifications of this structure coming within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination, a stoker of the class described, including a retort and a fuel-feeding conveyor leading thereto, and means for receiving fuel-simulating elements from the rim of said retort and conducting them back to said conveyor.

2. In combination, a stoker of the class described including a retort and a fuel-feeding conveyor leading thereto, ball-like elements loosely contained in said retort and conveyor, and means for receiving said elements, as they are forced over the rim of said retort by operation of said conveyor, and conducting them back to said conveyor.

3. In combination, a stoker of the class described including a retort and a fuel-feeding conveyor leading thereto, ball-like elements loosely contained in said retort and conveyor, an open top annular member surrounding the rim of said retort and disposed to receive said elements moving over said rim, and a downwardly inclined chute leading from said member to said conveyor.

4. In a device for advertising the action of a mechanical stoker, a chute-like structure constructed and arranged to surround the rim of the stoker retort and to lead downwardly from said rim to the stoker feed chamber.

5. A device for advertising the action of a mechanical stoker comprising a chute constructed and arranged to surround the rim of the stoker retort and to lead downwardly from said rim to the stoker feed chamber, and a quantity of balllike elements movable by the stoker mechanism through the retort to the edge of the latter and then freely movable by gravity along said chute back to the stoker feed chamber.

6. In a device for advertising the action of a mechanical coal stoker having an open top retort and a conveyor for supplying fuel to said retort: a pan-like member for fitting around the rim of said retort and a chute leading from one side of said pan downwardly to a point on said retort, and ball-like elements exceeding the quantity required to fill said retort and adapted to be fed over the rim of the retort by the conveyor screw and to drop into said member and roll around the same and down said chute back to the stoker conveyor.

'7. In a device of the class described, a frame of angular cross section for enclosing the upper portion of a stoker retort and cooperating therewith to form an open top trough about the retort rim, and a chute of U-shaped cross section inclined downwardly from one side of said frame to connect the latter to the stoker conveyor at a point spaced from said retort.

8. A device for advertising the action of a mechanical stoker comprising a chute constructed and arranged to surround the rim of the stoker retort and to lead freely rolling elements downwardly from said rim to the stoker feed chamber, and a movable attention-directing structure actuated by said elements as they pass along said chute.

9. A device for advertising the action of a mechanical stoker comprising achute constructed and arranged to surround the rim of the stoker retort and to lead freely rolling elements downwardly from said rim to the stoker feed chamber, a paddle wheel journaled on said chute with its blades disposed to be struck by said elements as they pass along said chute, and an attentionattracting member actuated by said wheel.

10. A device for advertising the action of a mechanical stoker comprising a chute constructed and arrangedto surround the rim of the stoker retort and to lead freely rolling elements downwardly from said rim to the stoker feed chamber,

an upstanding shaft journaled on said chute, a paddle wheel on the lower portion of said shaft with its blades disposed to be struck by said elements in their travel along said chute, and an attention-attracting member on the upper end of said shaft.

EDWARD N. CURRAN. 

